Shion sensed the commotion outside.
The door remained tightly shut, and the worn-down building constantly produced its own ambient noise—creaks, drafts of wind seeping through cracks—but something about the disturbance felt different.
It wasn’t the usual background noise.
It was disorganized. Unsettled.
Another visitor?
The so-called "guests" had been arriving with increasing frequency.
Suspiciously so.
"...Not my concern."
Feeling her body reach its absolute limit, Shion pulled the blanket over her head.
Hunger twisted her stomach, her skin ached from the biting cold, and true sleep had been impossible for days.
She had spent countless hours drifting in and out of shallow rest.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Someone pounded on the door, their voice rising in urgency.
—"Princess! I’m coming in!"
A familiar voice.
Shion’s eyes cracked open.
"Mmm...?"
Clink! Clink!
The door rattled.
That was the sound of multiple locks being undone.
Still groggy, Shion reached for the coat draped over the chair and pulled it on.
She sat at the edge of the bed, waiting for the door to open.
"Have they finally decided to answer my questions?"
So this was how it ended.
A waiting game.
And she had won.
She had expected it to take longer.
But if they were caving this quickly, that was good news.
Trembling hands finished unlocking the last latch.
Clatter!
The door swung open.
An elder rushed in, his expression frantic.
"Princess! Quickly, put on your clothes and come with me!"
"...What?"
"It’s urgent! You must prepare immediately!"
Shion frowned.
Something felt off.
"Are you finally going to answer my questions?"
"T-That is..."
Her voice was cracked from dehydration.
Hearing her words, the elder flinched.
And in that instant—her suspicions hardened into certainty.
"Whatever this is about, if I’m not getting my answers, I’m not going."
"Princess—!"
"Get out of my room.
I refuse one-sided negotiations."
The elder hesitated.
This was proving to be a difficult errand.
‘How am I supposed to persuade her...?’
Speaking of the Reverse Praise Society or anything related to it was strictly forbidden.
If the disposal was confirmed, then it wouldn’t matter.
But since the decision had yet to be made, they couldn’t bring it up.
And with Elder Chief Maxwell absent, the elder had no authority to make the call.
His mind blanked.
"How long do you plan on standing there?
Get out."
Shion’s icy tone made the elder grit his teeth.
Taking a deep breath, he scrambled for anything he could use to sway her.
"...The guests who have arrived today—
They know everything you have been seeking."
Her brow twitched.
A silent beat passed between them, heavy as a millennium.
"...Fine.
Wait outside. I’ll get ready."
"Princess! Please hurry!"
"I heard you. Close the door."
As the elder moved to leave, he suddenly stopped.
A thought struck him.
‘That man said he would evaluate the vessel’s potential...’
Would she need her weapons?
The man from the Reverse Praise Society would not tolerate incompetence.
If there was any delay, the next beating would be his.
Fear settled in his gut.
He swallowed, running his tongue along his teeth.
All intact for now...
Turning back to Shion, he spoke carefully.
"...Wear something formal and bring your weapon."
Leaving her with that instruction, he closed the door.
Shion prepared as she thought.
"Formal? And my weapon?"
Formal?
She had only one outfit that could be considered formal.
They knew that.
So why phrase it like that?
Who the hell had come to visit?
"Well, not my problem."
She didn’t care who they were.
But if the elder had been lying about his bait—
She wouldn’t let it slide.
They were clearly rattled.
If this was just another routine visitor, he wouldn’t have been so flustered.
If the meeting didn’t yield the results she wanted—
She would ruin it.
Completely.
Clank!
Shion finished dressing and stepped out.
Her sniper rifle slung over her back, goggles secured in place.
Given her options, this was the best she could do.
The elder scanned her from head to toe and nodded.
"You’re ready. Good. Come quickly!"
She followed but couldn’t ignore how rushed he was.
Something was making him nervous.
"Where are we going?"
"The meeting room."
Shion narrowed her eyes.
This situation was filled with questions.
‘Meeting room?’
Even when she had asked to participate in meetings before, the elders would lose their minds, insisting she couldn’t enter.
And yet now—
They were leading her there?
Shion dragged her weakened body forward.
"Hurry inside," the elder urged.
She took a step across the threshold—
And her mind stopped functioning.
‘???’
Was she hallucinating?
The scene before her made no sense.
One of the elders had blood pouring from his mouth like a waterfall.
Yet he stood still, receiving no treatment.
Teeth were scattered across the floor, stained red.
Most importantly—
Why were Rohan and Clara sitting there?
‘Is this a dream?’
A lucid dream, perhaps?
She had never imagined such a scenario before.
Her brain, unable to rationalize the scene, simply rejected reality.
"..."
But she knew this wasn’t a dream.
A dark thought, unspoken but horrifying, surfaced in her mind.
Her chest tightened, emotions rising fast—
If she let them, tears would spill immediately.
Rohan saw her face, and despite feeling relieved at the sight of her, he kept his expression neutral.
He turned his glare toward the elders.
"You wasted this much time just to bring her here?"
"I-I apologize! The truth is—"
"Go on. Speak.
If your excuse isn’t convincing, I’ll shove a sword down your throat."
Silence.
Every elder clamped their mouths shut.
Rohan checked on Shion again.
And his composure shattered.
The elders, staring straight ahead, hadn’t noticed—
But Shion looked like she was about to break down in tears.
‘...No way.’
Had she misunderstood the situation just by looking at them?
Rohan knew he needed to move quickly.
Turning back to the elders, he spoke in a tone laced with scorn.
"Useless fools.
I have no confidence in your competence.
Go. See for yourselves."
He motioned toward Clara.
No words were needed—she immediately understood.
"..."
Clara, who had remained silent, rose from her seat.
She approached Shion and gently led her out of the room.
Click. Click. Click.
As their footsteps faded, Rohan stood up and grabbed his sword.
"Now, let’s discuss your reasons."
He tapped the scabbard against his palm—smack, smack—and stepped toward them.
The elders flinched.
"Hekes gave you one order—to raise the vessel properly.
So why does she look like that?"
"That is—"
Rohan’s eyes burned with rage.
Shion looked emaciated.
She hadn’t been eating, hadn’t been drinking.
She had looked healthier when they were struggling to survive in a dungeon.
His blood boiled.
"Fucking useless.
You can’t even handle something this simple?"
THWACK!
Rohan swung the scabbard—hard.
The beating commenced.
CRACK! THUD! THWAP!
"UGHK...!"
"AGH! M-My leg...!"
Blow after blow landed, breaking bones, sending them rolling across the floor.
The elders never fought back.
Not once.
‘Pathetic.’
Even if he was using the Reverse Praise Society as a bluff, he hadn’t expected them to crumble this easily.
His satisfaction was secondary—
For now, he channeled his fury into beating the absolute shit out of them.
Grinding his teeth, he shifted his glare toward the only one left standing.
"Elder Chief Levin Maxwell.
You tell me the truth."
"..."
The old elf’s wrinkled features tensed.
His mind was racing, scrambling for a way out.
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Rohan didn’t give him time to think.
"Nothing to say?
Then I’ll report everything to Hekes as it is."
The threat was precise.
Levin hesitated, then finally spoke.
"Even though I have never stepped onto a battlefield myself...
I do understand that physical health is essential for combat."
Rohan immediately pounced.
"Oh? So you knew, yet still let her end up in that state?"
"However," Levin continued, voice slow, "I believe hardship is an essential component for intelligence-bearing species to spread their wings."
Rohan smirked.
"So you’re saying you deliberately starved and weakened her?
For growth?"
"Exactly."
The elder’s words flowed smoothly.
Rohan had to fight back laughter.
This bastard was falling right into his hands.
"You really don’t get it.
When someone falls into the abyss, only a small fraction climb back out."
"You are correct.
But I am certain that the Testarossa lineage belongs to that fraction."
In other words—
"Don’t discard her yet."
Rohan tapped the scabbard against the floor, deep in thought.
The blood sticking to it made an unpleasant squelch.
"A plan, huh?
A bit hard to call that an intentional plan when she’s already half-dead."
"That is... because the hardship has only just begun."
The words came out smoothly, without hesitation.
Rohan nearly laughed.
‘Perfect.’
He glanced toward the door.
‘They should be back soon.’
This was the ideal moment.
This was when he would keep his promise to Shion.
"Levin Maxwell."
"Yes. Speak."
"Your so-called training is ridiculous.
It’s so childish that I’m not even angry."
"Then... shall we increase the intensity?
If you simply wait a bit longer, I assure you—"
BANG!
Rohan slammed the scabbard against the floor, cutting him off.
"I came here today to judge the vessel’s potential."
"..."
Levin had no response.
"You are certain that the Testarossa lineage can endure hardship?"
"I am."
"Good.
Then I’ll confirm it for myself."
Rohan’s voice was final.
"When she returns, tell her everything you’ve been hiding."
Levin paled.
His mouth opened slightly—but he hesitated.
Rohan cut off any doubts with a single sentence.
"I will take full responsibility."
The moment he said it, Levin’s entire demeanor shifted.
As if he had never been flustered in the first place, the elder nodded.